Tales of a Man
by GeneralGunnut
Summary: Thomas Austin Murphy was a college student before the infection hit. He would of never knew that fate would of made him into the greatest zombie hunter of all time. Prelude to "Eyes of a Ranger"
1. Prologue

**Tales of a Man**

**(Prelude to Eyes of a Ranger)**

**Prologue**

**-Setting and Blurb-**

The story starts out a week before the first official outbreaks in Pennsylvania. Thomas Austin Murphy is a freshman college student at SFA University. Despite being an "average" student, he would have never thought fate would bring him towards becoming a legendary zombie hunter.

**-Your Average Kid-**

"Green Flu causes concern for CEDA" read one of the news links. It wasn't the main headline on the Drudge Report, but it was located near the bottom of the page. Ever since the end of summer, medical experts have been discussing about this disease that appeared out of nowhere in China and was spreading around the globe. While this "rabid-like" virus concerns several scientists, many pundits and others have dismissed the Green Flu as another "hoax" pandemic. The fact that the Swine Flu failed to do more damage than the regular flu and the Bird Flu failed to evolve into the next black plague, many aren't getting into the hype of this disease. Add the embarrassments of Climate gate and the mistakes of the IPCC report, and you have a public that is completely cynical towards the scientific and doomsayer community.

Still, the young Thomas Austin Murphy still clicks on the link because he is interested in this disease. While he did have a cynical view of the Green Flu, he worried if it did become a pandemic. Not only that, but he was also fascinated with, if the rumors were true, that the disease was turning people into zombies. Ever since the first public outbreak in South Africa, Thomas has been digesting whatever information he could get his hands about this virus. Despite naysayers saying it'll never hit the U.S or it'll never be that big, Thomas had to be prepared.

As he started read the article, he pulled out a Twinkie, opened its packaging, and started to eat it. "Man, I got to make sure store plenty of these before all hell breaks loose," chuckled the teenager. Even though Twinkies weren't part of a healthy diet, they were the ultimate survivor's food, being the fact they could last forever, even after a nuclear war. Still, he wondered if he could survive a zombie outbreak. He wasn't the fittest of people, but wasn't fat either. He does take part in his battalion's "ranger challenge" program every morning. Plus the fact he's been taking martial arts lessons and been weight training, he's in good shape. Even though he already gained his "Freshman 15", it was good weight and needed weight too, since before that he was less than 130 pounds. Besides being in shape, he did have a loaded shotgun hidden underneath his bed. It was a SPAZ-12 shotgun that he bought at a gun show a week ago. Despite it was against school rules and the law, he knew his shotgun was going to be useful. Besides that, he isn't the only student who holding on to illegal contrabands. He wasn't going to allow a Virginia Tech incident to convince him to give up his 2nd Amendment rights, even though the shooting happened in a "gun-free" school.

As he finished reading the article, his roommate came busting in. His name was Timothy Reilly, or better known as Tank. He was a 6"2 football player. He was big and well fit like any athlete. He had blonde short hair and a blonde go tee. He wore a black leather coat, his football jersey, blue jeans, and sneakers. He was a sociable guy, a party man; you know, your typical frat boy. Though despite their differences, Tank and Thomas were good friends and Tank was a good wingman whenever the duo went out.

"Ok Tommy boy, we are going to hang out tonight," said Tank, "just you and me, bro."

"Sorry, I can't," declined Thomas, "I got work to finish up."

"But bro, I need you," insisted Tank, "Jessie is like having the biggest party ever, and I need you to be my wingman."

"Sorry Tank, but parties aren't my thing," replied Thomas. He could never understand why drinking alcohol and trying to "score" on chicks was a huge thing. He couldn't stand the taste of beer and he was modest towards women, maybe too modest.

Tank walked up to his roommate and looked at the computer screen. "Dude, you shouldn't be all wild up about this Green Flu shit," stated Tank. "It's just going to be another Swine Flu. I don't understand why people can just calm down about it."

"I know," half-lied Thomas, "but it's still kind of interesting. Besides, they're saying that it's turning people into zombies."

"Damnit Thomas, have you been playing too many video games? There is no such thing as zombies. I mean that is all I ever see you do here is like play video games, or go on that Drudge Report; you need to get a life."

"I do have a life," argued Thomas, "I work out in the morning with my ROTC buddies, then I go to classes, then I have lunch, then I have more classes, then I go to the gym and workout, then I come here to chill."

"This is what I mean, you're life is too scheduled," said Tank. "You need to spice it up. Come on, man, join me. I hear Michelle might be attending."

Suddenly, Thomas's interest in this gathering rose. Ever since his first days at SFA, he has had a crush on Michelle Overbeck. Her brown hair, her green eyes, and her slim figure, that sweet voice: she was the perfect girl in Thomas's eyes. Despite being in the same History class, he couldn't figure out a way to approach the girl. During lunch, he would sit three tables away from her, just staring at her while she chatted with her girlfriends. Maybe going to this party wouldn't hurt.

"Alright, I'm in," gave in Thomas.

"Perfect, I knew you would tag along," said Tank.

"So, do I need change or anything like that?" asked Thomas.

"Nah, you're fine," answered Tank, "unless you want to change. I don't care."

Thomas then examined his clothing. He was wearing his gray high school letterman jacket, a white polo shirt, and blue jeans. He didn't really need a shave, for he shaved that morning. His dark brown hair was short, so couldn't really mess with it. After a good minute, he felt he was ready and he went out the door with his friend to the party.


	2. Party Too Hard

**Chapter One: Party Too Hard**

The fraternity house was blasting with loud music and chatter as the party raged on. Students from all over the campus came in droves to get wasted and laid. These parties were open invitation, allowing anyone to come in and crash in for some fun. It seems like the objective of most frat boys or cool kids was to make these "socials" as huge as possible. While Thomas was nervous with the large amount of people and the loud noise, he had Tank to back him up.

"Now this is a party," said Tank as the duo walked into the door.

"Yeah, it is," replied Thomas as he witness the partygoers drinking and socializing.

"Hey, is that you?" shouted a voice as man in a black shirt came stumbling through the crowd.

"Jessie, how you doing man?" asked Tank as he gave his drunken comrade a funky handshake.

Jessie was about the same height as Thomas. He had a black go tee and black short hair. He was wearing sunglasses, a black shirt, and jeans. He was holding a cup of beer.

"Doing great, dude," replied Jessie as he took a sip of alcohol. "I'm glad you could make it. So, who's your friend?"

"Oh, this is Thomas Murphy," introduced Tank as he wrapped his arm around Thomas's shoulders, "he's cool though, so you don't need to worry about him."

"That's cool," said Jessie as he took two cups of beer from a person holding a tray of beers. "Here take these." He handed the beers two his guests. He then proposed a toast. "To my new friend, Thomas Murphy." Jessie chugged the drink down. Tank did the same but Thomas just stared at the yellow liquid.

He decided to go with it and he took a sip. He tasted the bitterness of the drink and proceeded to stop. He didn't even get pass 95% of the cup.

"Dude, are you going to finish that?" asked Jessie.

"Yeah, you can have it," replied Thomas as he handed his beer to the frat boy, "I'm not much of a drinker."

"That's ok, man. It's always best to start out light," said Jessie "So, are you a Midnight Rider's fan?"

"Yeah, I think they're pretty good," replied Thomas as he recognized the song Midnight Ride. "I got some of their songs on my computer."

"I know right, they are pretty badass!" shouted Tank. "I saw their show at Harvest just recently."

"Yeah, I have all of their albums," bragged Jessie, "even the stuff that ain't that good."

"Yeah, they are like the greatest Texans ever!"

Suddenly, there was some commotion in the house. Everyone was staring at a man with long blonde hair and shaggy chin hair who was shouting obscure things.

"They are going to kill us all!" shouted the paranoid man. "We need to stock up. It's end of the world as we know it!"

Two larger frat boys restrained the man and threw him out of the house. The partygoers for a good 10 seconds questioned what happened, and then they went back to having their fun.

"What was that about?" asked Thomas.

"Oh that was Crazy Carl," answered Tank. "He's a real nutcase. He's one of those people who believe the government is trying to take over the world or something like that. Recently, he's been egging on about the Green Flu. How the government created it and now trying to turn everyone into zombies. I don't understand why he was even invited."

"Because he has the weed, man" answered Jessie. Then the two boys high-fived each other. Thomas just rolled his eyes. Jessie then lost attention and followed another group of friends.

"Hey Tank!" screamed a preppy female voice. She had long blonde hair, wore a pink miniskirt with a pink blouse, and pink high heels. She was followed by what appeared to be her friend, who looked like she was dragged to the party like Thomas. She had green eyes and brown long hair. She was wearing a green blouse with blue jeans and black stiletto heels. Thomas recognized the brunette.

"Hey Brook," replied Tank as he gave his girlfriend a kiss on the lips. "So, who's this lovely lady you brought along?" Tank looked at her friend and gave a smirk. She merely replied with a nervous look.

"This is Michelle, Tankie-poo," answered the blonde. "Who's your cute friend?"

"This is Thomas," replied Tank. "And please don't call me 'that' in public."

"Ok, whatever you say," gave in Brook. The girl then whispered in Tank's ear and he started to smile. Thomas wasn't stupid in what they were implying.

"Hey Tommy boy, how about you and Michelle mangle with each other?" said Tank as Brook started to pull him into her direction. "We're going to have some private time." Then Brook led him away.

Thomas and Michelle stood there in silence. They were quite nervous and couldn't figure out what to talk about. Finally, Thomas took the guts to speak up.

"So, you're Michelle," said Thomas as he scratched his head.

"Yeah…" replied the nervous girl, "and you're Thomas."

"Yes I am," chuckled Thomas. "You aren't comfortable here."

"No. I was dragged here by my friend."

"Wow, same here," Thomas chuckled. "So, do you want to ditch this place? Want to find a quieter place to talk."

"Sure," smiled Michelle and the two started to head out of the door. But then they were intercepted by a man who had a little too much to drink. He was slightly taller than Thomas, but he was skinny.

"Hey, hey, hey, why are you guys leaving?"Said the drunk. "You can stay a little longer, especially you." He stared at Michelle with intense interest.

"Yeah, we're a bit tried, so we're going to leave," replied Thomas.

"Oh come on, at least one more drink, on me," offered the man.

"You got to be kidding me," muttered Thomas.

"Come on, Thomas," insisted Michelle, "one drink shouldn't hurt."

"Ok," gave in Thomas, "but don't give me a drink. I'm fine."

"Alright, coming right up," said the drunk.

He then walked off to get a beer. Thomas carefully watched what the guy was doing, while Michelle was talking with another guy near him. As soon as the drunk picked up the beer, he turned around and put something in the cup that caused the liquid to fizz. Thomas wasn't an idiot and knew what the guy put in the beer. The drunk then innocently walked over to Thomas and Michelle. He was handing the beer to Michelle, but before she could grab it, Thomas pushed the drink out of the drunk's hand, causing the contents in it to spill on the floor.

"Hey, why did you do that, man?" angrily asked the drunk.

"Yeah, that was rude of you to do, Thomas," added Michelle.

"Um, Michelle, you may want to leave now," requested Thomas.

"Why?"

"Just get outside," calmly said Thomas, "I'll be right out there."

"Ok," replied Michelle who was confused. She then walked outside. The drunk stared at the girl in her butt as she walked away, then he gave a glare at Thomas.

"Dude, what's your problem?" asked the drunk in the same disapproving attitude while stabbing his finger into Thomas's chest.

"I have a problem with men like you who take advantage of women," answered Thomas as he got closer to the drunk in a raised, angered voice.

The drunk got aggressive with Thomas and shoved him away. "Don't get too close to me, man."

Thomas's temper rose and he decided he should push the drunk's anger, "How about you do that again? I dare you, you sorry piece of scum."

The drunk reacted with anger and threw a punch at Thomas. But he got a hold of the drunk and put his arm in a lock behind the guy's back. Thomas then pushed the drunk towards the table and slammed his head hard against that table. The drunk was incapacitated by the blow and the alcohol in his blood. But before the teenager thought he was done, another challenger appeared.

"Hey, don't fight with my buddy!" said a large drunk kid, who happened to be the drunk guy's friend.

He rushed towards Thomas, but before he could retaliate, Tank came to the rescue and punched the fat man in the face.

"And you sir, aren't allow to touch my friend!" shouted Tank as he knocked out his opponent.

Soon enough, the whole house converted into a giant brawl, as the drunken men and women started to wail on each other. The once peaceful, fun social was now a violent moss pit as the music changed to "All I want for Christmas (is to kick your Ass)." Thomas and Tank fought side by side as the free-for-all heated up.

"Gzzz Thomas, what did you do to piss everyone in here?" asked Tank as uppercut an attacker in the jaw.

"A drunk tried to drug Michelle and I'm not a party guy," answered Thomas as his roundhouse kick hit a fighter in his face. "Besides, why aren't you…hitting it off… with Brook?"

"Had no protection, dude," replied Tank as he picked up two people and banged their heads together. "And I sensed you were in trouble. Now, we need to figure out how to ditch this joint."

"Why are you asking me?"

"Because you are the smart one. Wait, we can break through the windows."

"Wait? What?"

"Trust me, dude. Just follow me."

Tank plowed through the crowd and burst through one of the windows. Thomas sighed and followed suit, crashing into the next window. He ducked and rolled on the ground. He had a few scrapes and bruises, but he was fine.

"What's going on, Thomas?" asked Michelle as she saw Thomas and Tank on the ground. "I hear fighting and you two broke through the windows and…"

"We need to get the hell out of here!" shouted Tank as he got up and started to run.

"Agree, just run!" added Thomas as he grabbed Michelle and the three ran off.

* * *

The trio finally reached safety and was in the middle of the campus courtyard. The three were tried and breathing hard.

"Well, that was fun," puffed Tank, "You always seem to find a way to ruin everything."

"Tank, the guy was going to give Michelle a roofie," Thomas explained again. Michelle was shocked to hear this. "Besides, how many times did you…"

"Wait a minute…" interrupted Michelle, "did you just save me from getting raped?"

"Yes ma'am," replied Thomas, "I saw the guy put something in your drink. He was an idiot."

"Well, I guess its true what people say about you," said Michelle, "that you are a gentleman and you really care about women."

"Although while I do thank you, I do ask where did you hear that?" replied Thomas as he looked towards Tank.

Just then, Tank gave in a yawn and said, "Well, I'm tired. I'm going off to bed. I'll see you two later." Then the jock walked off to his dorm room.

"Kay, have a nice sleep," replied Thomas. So, it was just Thomas and Michelle in the courtyard alone. The moon was full and the crickets were singing. The two looked at each other with interest.

"You look kinda cold," commented Thomas, "do you want my jacket?"

"I'm fine," declined Michelle, "but thank you. So, what did you letter in?"

"Rifle shooting," replied Thomas with pride, "I was the best shooter over back at my school. I could shoot 270 points out of 300."

"Wow, impressive! My dad would be impressed by you."

"Really, was he a completive shooter?"

"No, he was a Green Beret and a Vietnam Vet. Whenever we hanged out, he would take me to the gun range and would let me shoot his old M16 rifle. I'm an ok shot I guess, but I'm not terrible. I'm pretty sure you two would be great together." Thomas gave her a smile but then Michelle gave him a worried look. "Although, I am worried about him. I'm hearing rumors that the green flu has hit Pennsylvania and I'm concern about his well being. I'm mean, after the divorce, he hasn't had anyone to talk to, well except for me, and I'm just worried."

"Don't worry, Michelle. I'm pretty sure he's going to do well. He's a Green Beret. He's like the best of the best. If he can survive the Vietnam War, I'm pretty sure he could survive a pandemic."

Michelle smiled at Thomas, "Thank you, Thomas; I'm pretty sure he's alright. It's just when you are studying towards becoming a doctor, these diseases get pretty scary."

"So, you want to become doctor. That's pretty cool."

"Well, thank you. Yeah, ever since I was little, I always want to help people. How about you? What are you going to major?"

"Well, I'm sorta undecided, but I'm thinking towards a History major. History interests me, so why not get a major in it. But, I really want to be a soldier, which is why I'm in ROTC. Hopefully, I'll become a Ranger, and then become a Green Beret."

"That's awesome. You are like my dad." They both gave a chuckle. "Still, how do you like it here? I'm hoping your little skirmish didn't change any of your views."

Thomas chuckled, "Well, that was the 3rd best part of the party, but I'm having fun here."

"Good to hear, but what were the top two things about that party?"

"Leaving being the 2nd and meeting you being the 1st."

Michelle blushed at his response. "Well, that is very sweet of you, but I just got out of a relationship, a really bad relationship, if this is your attempt to flatter me."

"Of course not," lied Thomas.

"Really, then why did you come? You didn't seem too happy being there."

"Well," nervously replied Thomas, "Tank egged me on going to the party, and I was hoping on saving a damsel in distress."

"Oh," laughed Michelle, "I'm so stupid. Those two were trying to hook us up. Brook wanted me to go because she wanted me to find a new boyfriend. I'm so stupid. You're a very nice guy, but I'm not sure if you would be interested with me. I'm pretty sure there are other girls out there."

"Actually" answered Thomas, "I'm not sure if there are many girls who find me interesting. I've never had a girlfriend."

"What? But you're such a nice guy, and quite attractive too."

"Yeah, but you seem to be the only to think that."

Just then there was silence as the two stared at each other in their eyes. Her green eyes were beautiful, like the sparkles of emeralds. They came closer to each other. Despite the fact that Michelle was wearing heels, her head only reached just below Thomas's chin. So, Thomas squat down to her height. Despite her resistance, she couldn't resist the man's charm, so her lips came closer to his. But before they touched, there was a disturbance. A moan echoed in the abandon courtyard.

"Did you hear that?" stated Thomas as he searched for the source of the noise. "There!" He pointed at grayish-looking man. He was slumped and walked in a drunken-like state. He then started to puke what appeared to be blood.

"Are you ok?" asked Michelle as she faced towards the sick man. The man then looked up at Michelle and stared at her with his bright yellow eyes. Instantly, the mad man charged toward the girl and pinned her on the ground, screaming. Thomas reacted quickly, got the sickly man off of her, and gave him an uppercut in the jaw. The stranger stumbled backward and fell on the ground.

"Are you alright?" as Thomas pulled Michelle off the ground.

"Yeah, I'm a bit scraped up but I'm fine," replied Michelle, "Still, this is the second time you saved me." Thomas smiled but then he heard the yelp of "Look out!" followed by the weight of a man pushing him down to the ground.

The sickly, gray man was on top of Thomas, waling at the college kid with arms. Thomas covered his blows with one arm while he reached for a big rock with his other. He grabbed the stone and slammed it against creature's skull. The mad man was on the ground, blood gushing from his eyes and head.

"What the hell was that?" puffed Thomas as he examined the body.

"I don't know, but he looks like he had…" but before Michelle could finish, Thomas finished her sentence.

"Green flu. Shit, how the hell are we going to explain this?"

* * *

Thomas and Michelle were sitting on a bench outside of the Dean's office. They were waiting, hoping they weren't going to be in trouble for killing someone in self-defense. Finally, the Dean stepped out along side with a police officer.

"Well, according to Lt. Wilson's report and your testimony, you two did in fact kill for your self-defense. So, there won't be any charges placed upon you," stated the Dean.

"Thank goodness," replied Thomas and Michelle with relief.

"Still, I find it strange that someone would try to kill you two," commented Lt. Wilson.

"This maybe a wild guess," suggested Michelle, "but I think he had the Green Flu."

"Impossible!" gasped the Dean.

"This would the first case here in Texas," said the officer. "If that's the case, we may have to quarantine the school, maybe even shut it down."

"Now hold on there, Wilson," said the Dean, "We can't just shut down the school. Parents have paid their tuitions for their children to learn, we can't put their money into waste."

"But he had the symptoms of the Green Flu," pointed out Michelle, "the gray skin, the yellow eyes, the vomiting, his aggressive behavior…all of those point to the fact that he is infected. I have done the research, trust me."

"Look, we'll give the guy an autopsy and if we find the flu, we'll inform the CEDA," answered Lt. Wilson.

"Fine," gave in the Dean, "we'll discuss this tomorrow when the results come in. Murphy and Overbeck, you had a long night. How about you two go back to your dorms and get some sleep."

So, Thomas and Michelle locked arms and walked out of the Dean's office as the two men started to discuss about a disturbance at a Frat party.

Thomas walked his new friend to her dorm. It has been a long night, and they were feeling weight of their fatigue and soreness.

"So, this was an interesting night," said Thomas as the two stood outside of the door.

"It sure was," replied Michelle, "so hey, if it doesn't bother you, how about you hang with me tomorrow, by the rec center after classes."

"Sure, I would love to," answered Thomas. Then Michelle walked up to Thomas, stood on her tippy-toes and gave him a kiss on the cheek. She then walked into her dorm.

Thomas stood there for 15 minutes, pondering about what happened over the course of the evening. He then went to his dorm, smiling like the world would never crash and burn.


	3. Rumors

**Chapter Two: Rumors**

The next morning was like any other morning. The birds were chirping, the cool autumn air crisped the lands, and Thomas was tried from his workout routine. He was in the locker room with his ROTC comrades, changing out of their sweaty PT clothes and replacing them with clean dry clothes.

"Man, that was some workout, huh," stated a black cadet name Aaron.

"Yeah, I know," replied Gabe, who was applying deodorant to his armpits, "I thought that three miler would knock me out."

"It wasn't that challenging," bragged Matt.

"That's because you and Thomas are like super runners, or something like that," rebutted Paul, a hefty cadet.

"I'm not much of exercise nut, guys," modestly defended Thomas as he took off his workout shirt. "I play as much video games and eat as much junk food as you, Paul."

"Whatever, you have like hax or something like that," replied Paul, "besides, are you going to be on Team Fortress 2 later today?"

"Maybe, it depends on my planner," answered Thomas.

"With who Michelle?" said Aaron which made Thomas blush a bit.

"Yeah, I heard you two hooked up after that fight you started at that party," added the tall blonde named Gabe.

Ever since last night, stories and rumors about the brawl spread like wildfire around the campus.

"First of all, we just met, so I'm not sure if we are dating," defended Thomas, "and second off, I did not start that fight."

"Then how about those scratches on your arm right there?" asked Matt as he pointed towards Thomas's uncovered arm.

"Those, well, I got them from another fight," truthfully answered Thomas.

"Two fights in one night, that is tight," commented Paul as he zipped up his pants.

"Yeah, but you should be careful not to kill yourself," added Gabe as he put on a new shirt on.

"But, I didn't even start that fight either," defended Thomas who was putting on a new shirt, "the guy just went crazy and started to attack me."

"That's strange," said Aaron who was fully dressed now, "why would a person do that?"

"Maybe he was drunk," suggested Paul.

"Maybe he had the Green Flu," stated Matt.

"That's bullshit," countered Gabe, "the Green Flu, down here?!"

"I think he did have it," added Thomas as he was finally dressed now, "he had the gray skin, the eyes, and the violent temper…just like those things that attacked South Africa."

"Still, if it was Green Flu, then would that mean they would shut down the school?" asked Paul.

"Nah, I bet they wouldn't shut down the school because they would lose money," said Aaron, "Besides, they would have us quarantined. They wouldn't want us to leave and spread it if was here. Rather have us left for dead."

"That is just crazy," insisted Gabe, "I'm pretty sure the guy was drunk, like Paul said, or just some crazy guy. Anyways, I'm off for breakfast, so see yeah." Then Gabe walked off.

"Yeah, I'm getting pretty hungry, too," added Paul, "I'll see you guys later." And he ran off to catch up to Gabe. Aaron followed suit and the only two left in the room was Matt and Thomas.

"You believe me, right?" asked Thomas.

"Of course I do, you're my friend," replied Matt. Matt, who was 5 foot 7 and well built, was an honest and trustworthy kid. It was his honesty that made Thomas like Matt so much, that he was his best friend next to Tank.

"Thanks," smiled Thomas. Then the two buddies went to breakfast together.

* * *

There was a lot of talk during the class periods. Students were discussing about the brawl at the party. It was the first time ever that Thomas has gotten this amount of attention, as his follow peers asked him what happen. Thomas, of course, declined to speak because he was tired of repeating himself. Also, he needed to pay attention to his studies. By the time lunch came around, things somewhat calmed down. He went over to the cafeteria lunch line to grab his food. It was hamburger Monday, so he grabbed two hamburgers, a carton of fries, a cup of carrots, a bottle of Dr. Pepper, and a Twinkie. As went down to take his seat, he had the strangest feeling that he was being watched. Ever since his "celebrity" status, he couldn't help but think that somebody was watching him, following his every move as large groups of students asked him questions. Was he becoming paranoid? Just then a female's voice went through Thomas's ears.

"Can I sit here with you?" It was Michelle. She was wearing a denim skirt with a black shirt covered by a denim jacket. She was wearing the same pair of high heels from the party.

"Well, sure," replied Thomas as Michelle had already took a seat. "I thought we were going to meet later today."

"Well, yeah," said the girl, "but that doesn't we can't have lunch together, right?"

"Of course we can have lunch together," said Thomas as he started to take a bite into one of his hamburgers. "So, where are your friends?"

"Oh, they'll be coming," answered Michelle as she chewed her burger, "they are a bit late. So, how was your day?"

"It was alright, although, I'm not much of a fan of being the center of attention." Thomas grabbed several fries and ate them.

"Same here," She took a sip of her iced tea. "Any word from Lt. Wilson?"

"No, I haven't heard anything from him. I surprised to see there aren't any cops or CEDA workers here yet."

"I heard the police station was ransacked this morning."

"What? Who? How?"

"I don't know. But it could be possible that if that guy had the Green Flu, the guy giving the autopsy could have gotten the virus and well…"

"Well, that's not good." Thomas took a sip of Dr. Pepper.

Just then, the couple heard the chattering of girls. They were Michelle's friends. The girl to the left was Brook. She was wearing black tights and matching black top and black open toe heels. She must have been 5"7 with the shoes. The girl to the right was a tall Latino girl who was wearing a black skirt, a white blouse, and black heeled boots. While she must have been Thomas's height, her shoes made her Tank's height. The girls then took seats next to their friend.

"So, this is the cute freshman you met at the party last night," said the tall Latino.

"Yeah, I told you he was cute," replied Brook.

"Oh, Thomas, let me introduce you to my friends," said Michelle, "I know you already met Brook." Brook gave a wink at Thomas. "And this is Maria right here."

"Please to meet you, Thomas," greeted Maria, "I heard what did at the party. It was brave of you to protect Michelle like that."

"Thanks," replied Thomas.

"Yeah, but you should of seen the face on Jessie. He was pissed when the fight started," added Brook.

"Really," replied Thomas is shock.

"But don't worry, Thomas," assured Brook, "after he found out that his party was the biggest brawl on the campus, he took pride in what you started. Heck, he's even trying to get credit for convincing you to start that fight and for training you to be a kickass machine." This made Thomas chuckle.

"Oh men, they have such strange egos," stated Maria as she looked at her nails.

"I know we do," agreed Thomas.

So, the four ate their lunches. They tried to avoid the subject of the party, so they talked about college life; grades, studies, parties. They also talked about their lives before college. How Maria came from a poor section of Austin and made her ambition to become a school teacher, and how Brook dreams to become the next fashion model, although she does have some liking towards Forestry. For a bunch of preppy schoolgirls, they were women who had high expectations and wish to do more than to look pretty, which impressed Thomas. With the exception when they started to talk about girl stuff (which made Thomas silent), he was able to maintain a likable conversation with Michelle's friends and thus they were able to get along. Thomas wondered when he should have her meet his friends. After they were done eating, the four decided to disburse to their next set of classes.

"See you later, Chico," said Maria as she should took her long strides to the exit.

"Bye, Thomas," waved Brook as she followed Maria.

"Remember Thomas, the rec center after classes," reminded Michelle.

"I won't," promised Thomas. Then, Michelle gave Thomas a blow kiss and she walked off to her next class.

* * *

The second wave of classes was like the first wave. People were asking Thomas questions left to right. It became so distracting, that the professor actually had to shout at his class to shut up. The students obeyed, which made Thomas thankful for his teacher. When his final period ended, he ran full speed to the rec center to meet up with Michelle. However, upon his rush, he accentually rushed into an unexpecting person. The two collided and fell on the ground.

"Hey, watch where you're going, man," said the person in the green hoody and khaki cargo pants.

"I'm sorry there," replied Thomas as he looked up, "I was in a bit of a rush and…" But before he could finish, he recognized the person he bumped into. He was about 5"9 and was skinny. He had blonde long hair and a blonde go tee. It was Crazy Carl.

"Hey man, I know you," stated Carl, "you're the Thomas Austin guy, the person who started that fight at the party, and who fought that zombie."

But before he could give out a sigh, he heard the last part of his sentence and his mind went into interested.

"What was that last part?" asked Thomas.

"What, the fact you killed a zombie," repeated Carl, "I mean, not many people talk about that part, but I know what you did after the party."

"Yeah and where did you get this source?" questioned Thomas as he got up.

"I keep my sources secret, but I know you had an encounter with a person with the Green Flu," answered Carl as he was up too. "Like we need to get together or something to get ready for Z-Day, how about we have lunch or something sometime this week."

"Sure," lied Thomas as this guy was creeping him out.

"Groovy," replied the nut, and he started to walk away.

Thomas ran as fast as possible to make up the lost time for his date, and to get away from Carl. When he got to the rec center, he was breathing hard. Michelle walked up to Thomas and joked, "It looks like you were trying to get away from something."

Thomas looked up to Michelle, only to reply, "Yeah, Crazy Carl."

"You met up with Crazy Carl," gasped Michelle.

"Yeah, he is crazy," stated Thomas and the duo laughed, "So, what are we going to do?"

"I don't know," shrugged Michelle.

"You don't know. When you told me to meet you at the rec center, I thought you had a plan."

"Well, let's see, we could play ping pong," suggested Michelle.

"Ok, although, I wouldn't say I'm that great," said Thomas.

"That's ok, I'm not that good at it either," replied Michelle.

The couple got their paddles and three ping pong balls and went to a table.

"Alright, ladies first," said Thomas.

Michelle served the ball, only to hit it too hard, causing the ball to miss the table.

"Try to hitting the power with less power," suggested Thomas.

Michelle took the suggestion and hit the ball just right, allowing it to hit Thomas's side. Thomas retaliated, hitting the ball onto Michelle's side. Michelle couldn't reflect the ball fast enough, so he gained another point.

"You said you weren't that good," said Michelle.

"I said I wasn't that great," corrected Thomas, which made Michelle smirk at him.

Michelle then gave her third serve; it was a fast, hard hit that hit Thomas's side and didn't give Thomas enough time to react, giving her a point.

"I thought you said weren't that good," stated Thomas.

"Correction, I wasn't that good, but I am great at this game," bragged Michelle as she smirked at Thomas.

Just then their little competition was interrupted. Matt and Aaron walked towards them as they had ping pong paddles of their own.

"Hey Thomas, I didn't know you and your lady friend was here," said Matt.

"Oh, I'm sorry I haven't introduced you to my friends but this is Matt and Aaron," introduced Thomas, "They're my friends from ROTC."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Michelle," she greeted the boys.

"Hey, I see you two playing," observed Aaron, "how about we join you?"

"Yeah, you two versus us two," challenged Matt.

"Alright," accepted Thomas, "first one to 20 wins."

So, the four played an intense and fun game of ping pong. Aaron tried to show off by trying to serve the ball backwards, but failed. Thomas tried serving a fast ball, but Matt was too quick and blocked the shot, but Michelle was able to save the day by hitting the ball back fast enough to cause their opponents get off guard. Matt served the ball well and was able to pass the ball through Thomas. However, Michelle came from behind, hit the ball back, and scored a point. Michelle then served and got a one-shot wonder. By the end of the game, it was a land slide victory for Overbeck/Murphy, with the score of 20-3.

"Well, that was a great game," sarcastically commented Aaron.

"Yeah, you did pretty well, Michelle. How did you get so good at Ping Pong?" asked Matt.

"Well, when I was at High School, I use to play Ping Pong competitively with a club. We got to State finals," answered Michelle.

"Well, that's pretty interesting," replied Matt, "Well, we need to leave. I got homework to do, and so does Aaron. I'll see you guys later."

With that, they waved good bye.

"Well, that was fun," stated Michelle, "and your friends are pretty nice."

"Yeah, they are," replied Thomas with a smile.

"I had a nice time today," said Michelle "I think we should meet again."

"Yeah, we should. I mean, we should always eat together."

Michelle chuckled. "Yes we should, although, I'm wondering if you could go to my room this Saturday. I need help with History, and since you're a history nut, I could use your help."

"Ok," accepted Thomas, "I can do that."

"Thanks" She then gave him hug, followed by a small kiss on the lips. She then walked away and went about on her business.

"Boy, do I love that girl," stated Thomas.

* * *

He finally got to his dorm room. Tank was on his bed, listening to his IPod, when he noticed his friend entering the room.

"So bro, how did your date go?" asked Tank.

"Not too bad," replied Thomas, "I think she likes me."

"Good to hear, man," congratulated Tank, "I knew she would like you."

"Yeah, hey Tank, did you have anything to do with this?" asked Thomas.

"What do you mean bro?"

"I mean, you are trying to get us together."

"No." Thomas merely glared at him until he finally confessed. "Ok, I did play a role, but not a huge role man." He got up and put his hands on Thomas's shoulders. "I mean think about, bro. You talk about how you like her and whatnot, and how her previous boyfriend was a douche bag, so, I did play a role. But please don't get mad."

"I'm not mad. I'm quite glad to be honest." Thomas then looked up to his friend and gave him a smile. "She's like the best thing ever and I'm glad you helped out."

"Wow, thanks, bro." Tank then went back to his bed and sat on it. "Anyways, I got a message from your mom."

"Wait, my mom called?" panicked Thomas.

"Yeah, she tried calling you on your cell phone, but you didn't answer it," replied Tank. "Luckily, I was here when she called the room phone."

Thomas pulled out his cell phone and realized he had 7 missed calls. It was during the time when he was hanging out with Michelle. Thomas felt guilty as his mom was trying to tell him something urgent while he was having fun. He opened up his phone and called home, hoping his mom was still there. He heard the line pick up.

"Hello," answered an older woman's voice.

"Hey mom, this is Thomas," replied her son.

"Thomas, why didn't you pick up earlier," asked the mother.

"Well, I was busy," said Thomas, "how is everything."

"Things are going good," replied the mom, "How about you? Are you keeping up with your grades?"

"Yeah, mom," answered Thomas.

"That's good to hear."

"So mom, what was it you wanted to tell me?"

"Well, it's Stephen, he's being deployed."

"Deployed?! Where?"

"Fairfield, Pennsylvania. You know about that flu that's going around. Apparently, things are getting worse, so they are sending the Army to help out."

"That's not good."

"I know, Thomas. We know. But hopefully it isn't as bad as they say it is, just check the news."

Just then, Thomas turned the Television on. He turned it to Fox News to see a video of military soldiers barricading a checkpoint at the Pennsylvanian town, with the headline "Fairfield under Marshall Law."

"Despite the military being deployed at the city of Fairfield, the CEDA has urged everyone to remain calm," reported the newscaster. "They say the military is only there in case things get out of hand. Meanwhile, the CEDA is still in charge of coordinating operations. More detail to come."

"Wow, things are getting worse," stated Thomas as he turned off the TV.

"Yeah, well, make sure you pray for your brother," requested the mom.

"Alright Mom, I will," promised the son.

"I love you, son."

"I love you, too."

Then he hung up. He couldn't believe things are getting worse. Worse of all, he couldn't believe they were sending his oldest brother into that shit storm. Thomas last saw him two weeks ago, at John's wedding. Hell that was the last time he saw his whole family. Stephen was lucky that his commanders allowed him go. Still, he hopes everything will be alright, that the Green Flu wasn't as dangerous as everyone was saying about it, that the rumors were false. Sadly, it seems like rumors these days are becoming the facts of today, and the facts were becoming the lies of yesterday.


	4. Quarantine

**Chapter Three: Quarantine**

**Warning: Sexual Themes **

Despite the military being called in to Pennsylvania, many of the students of Stephen F Austin remain ignorant of the situation. "The government is over-reacting again. There's no outbreak, so there's no need for army to be up there." Because of this attitude, life on campus pretty much stayed the same. Still, there were the few who were concerned.

"I can't believe they deployed your brother to Fairfield," said Michelle in shock. The two were in her dorm room, having their scheduled study date. They haven't been able to talk much because of the work load they received during the week. However, Thomas was able to full fill his promise in tutoring Michelle in History. During his lecture, the couple finally got caught up with some of the events that have happened. "I guess things are getting worse."

"I'm worried, but I am confident that things might go well," insisted Thomas, "My brother is simply a communications guy, so he's not going to be on the front line, and he tells me that there isn't an outbreak."

"Still, we saw what that virus can do to a person," stated Michelle, "it's only a matter of time."

"Yeah, I know," admitted Thomas, "but, let's at least get through this pile of papers."

Michelle sighed, and then nodded with agreement. Thomas then continued with his lecture about the foundation of America, "Tobacco did a lot in the foundation of America. Without it, we wouldn't have expanded into the nation we have today."

"Kinda ironic considering how much we view smoking a negative thing," chuckled Michelle.

"Well, did you know King James was one of the first who thought smoking was bad?"informed Thomas.

"I never knew that," replied Michelle as she continued to scan her textbook, only to then close it, "I am glad you are helping me out, Thomas. You are a good guy. How are you so amazing at history?"

"Well, I love history; I believe you need to remember the past in order to progress into the future," answered Thomas.

Then, Michelle got up smiling, and then started to walk up to her closet. "I wonder if you can do something for me," asked the strangely happy girl as she opened up her closet.

"Umm, sure," replied the confused boy, wondering what she was up to.

She then pulled out a silk green dress and asked, "Will you wear this for me?"

Thomas thought he didn't hear her right, so, he said what any confused person would say, "What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to try on this dress," repeated Michelle, still smiling as she started to wave the gown.

"Why?" asked Thomas, as he started to get freaked out.

"Because I think this dress would look wonderful on you," explained Michelle as she started to get closer to the scared man while giving her childish smile.

Thomas was thinking. Why was she acting this way? Is she stressed out from school and the Green Flu? Did she have the Green Flu? Was this a test of some sort? Was she trying to embarrass him? Does she have a strange thing towards crossdressers or something? After some careful thinking, he decided to give in to her request. After all, he really liked her and if this is what she wanted him to do, well he's going to do it. "Alright, give me the dress," gave in Thomas.

Michelle gave him the dress with glee, and then she took a seat on her bed; waiting for him to change in the closet. It took him about five minutes to put on the green dress, mainly because that zipper was hard to zip up, but he got it zipped nevertheless. When he got out of the closet, Michelle broke her silence with laughter, and Thomas understood why after looking himself in the mirror. The dress revealed his hairy legs and his budging muscles. No wonder why men aren't supposed to wear dresses, although it was quite comfortable, which worried him.

"Well, don't you look fabulous coming out of the closet like that," giggled Michelle.

"I know I am," joked Thomas, who was feeling awkward.

Michelle then took off her green stilettos and threw them at Thomas. "I want you to put those on," demanded Michelle.

Thomas sighed; so long it made her happy. He put on the shoes and realized the increase of height. With the shoes, he must have been Tank's height. Despite the shoes being uncomfortable, they did fit his feet. Of course, he has been cursed with small feet.

Michelle just sat there, giggling herself to death. Thomas tried to make fun of the situation. He tried to pull off a cat walk but failed miserly when he tripped on his shoes. Michelle merely laughed harder as the man crashed onto the ground. He got up, trying to pull off that nothing actually happened as he put his hand on his hip like a model standing in a pose. Just then, Michelle took out her cell phone and took a picture of the dress wearing man.

"You just did not take a picture of me," said Thomas in shock.

"Oh yes I did," smiled Michelle.

"You better delete that picture," demanded Thomas.

"Make me."

Thomas then charged at the girl, trying to get the phone from her. They were lying on the bed, with Thomas on the woman while Michelle trying to keep the phone out of the man's reach. Finally, Michelle decided to put the phone in her chest, making Thomas tickle her, causing her to giggle uncontrollably.

"Stop it," laughed Michelle.

"Give me the phone," demanded Thomas

"Never." Then Michelle got a hold of Thomas and flipped him on his back. Now he was the vulnerable one, as she started to tickle him. "Now I have the upper hand."

"No, you don't," giggled Thomas as he got his hand and reached down her shirt. He got the phone, but the woman was in shock in what Thomas just did. Thomas was also shocked at the bold move he just did. But, instead of an expected slap, she laid her lips on his. This day was stranger and stranger in Thomas's mind, but he didn't care. As long as her lips were touching his lips, he was happy. The couple then got up, with Thomas throwing the phone to the side.

Michelle then took her shirt off and her pants, with only her green underwear covering her. She seems to like the color green, which didn't bother Thomas, for he loved green too. She then zipped off Thomas's dress for him, allowing him to take it off; with the only article of clothing on him were his boxers. He then kicked off the heels, shrinking him back to his regular height. Michelle then retrieved her heels, putting them back on, but she was still too short to reach his head. So, Thomas lifted her up and kissed her. They plotted on the bed again, expecting to make the dirty deed, but Thomas had to stop.

He got up and sat on the side of the bed. Michelle, who was confused, went to next to Thomas and asked, "What's wrong?"

"I can't do this," slowly responded Thomas.

"Is it because of your religion because if it was, I'm so sorry," replied the worried Michelle.

"Well, religion does play a role in it, since I am a Catholic. Not a perfect Catholic, but a Catholic nevertheless, but that's not the real reason."

"So, what is the reason?"

"Well, it's because I think we're going too fast," he honestly answered, "We just met a week ago, and I don't think it's right to pursue intercourse this soon, especially since this is my first time."

"You're right," apologized Michelle, "it is still too early. Besides, I don't my first time having you in a dress." As Michelle giggled at the last sentence, Thomas was because he didn't think Michelle was a virgin; not saying she didn't have morals but the way she was sexually attached to Thomas led him to believe that. Besides, she's a beautiful girl. Still, she continued to explain. "Like I said before, I had an awful boyfriend. I wanted to wait, to make sure he was the right guy, but he was too impatient. I told him I had boundaries, but he didn't want to respect them. So, he cheated on me. When I found out, I had to leave him. And then I met you, and you are such a nice guy. You are completely different from most men. While most men are willing to take a punch for the girl they love, how many of them are willing to disregard their own pride and ego and put on a dress for me?" Then, she pouted. "I'm sorry I was too quick in my advances. It just with school, and the Green Flu, and then my dad; I'm just stressed out and I'm afraid it might be too late."

Thomas then put his hand on Michelle's shoulder and replied, "Look, there's no need to stress out. Even if this Green Flu gets out of control, we'll survive it. With me on your side, I'll make sure you'll live. I promise you, so we can be steady."

Michelle smiled at Thomas. He had this charm that made her believe everything he said, that assured that things would be ok. The two hugged each other.

"I love you, Thomas."

"I love you, Michelle."

Suddenly, the dorm's room was burst open as Brook went rushing in. Thomas and Michelle panicked and hid underneath the bed covers. This prompted Brook to scream and look away, as she thought her roommate was having sex. This commotion caused the students in the following rooms to investigate what was going on. The semi-nude Michelle got out of the bed to calm down her friend, as the number of bystanders increased around the door.

"Brook, calm down, nothing happened," insisted Michelle.

"But, you two are nearly naked in bed;" cried Brook, "you didn't tell me you two were going to do it. If you did, I could have left you two in private."

"Nothing happened," assured Michelle, "we were but we decided not to. Come on, you're making a scene."

The shocked Brook looked behind her, noticing the crowd of curious students. There was a long silence, with the exception of whispers by the bystanders.

Finally Brook said, "I'm sorry, I just got excited and…"

"It's ok," replied Michelle as she hugged her friend. The men in the crowd started to make rudely gestures and whistles, only to be interrupted with Michelle screaming, "Get away you, pigs!" The crowd listened to her command and they disbursed. Then, Michelle asked, "What's wrong, why did you rush through the door like that?"

"Something big is happening," answered Brook, "you need to come quick, and with clothes on too. It's something about the Green Flu."

Michelle and Thomas got a worried look, as they were scrambling around, trying to get their clothes on. They came running down the halls, trying to change on the go. By the time they got their shirts on, they were in the elevator, going down to the lobby. They came out of the elevator and saw a huge crowd of students surrounding the large plasma television, which was stationed on CNN: the headline of the story blurred "Green Flu Outbreak". Thomas and Michelle merely gasped as they gathered by their peers, to hear what the reporters were saying.

"It appears to be official," reported the newsman, "Fairfield is the first U.S. city to be under quarantine because of a sever outbreak of the Green Flu. After what appeared to be a couple of isolated cases, has turned into a complete outbreak. It started at the rural homes, but then things fully erupted at Mercy Hospital, when people infected by the virus started acting violently and thus starting a massive riot. Police and military forces have been called up to stop these mobs, but they're attempts seem to be futile. The CEDA wants remind everyone to remain calm, and to board up your homes. If you are infected, or have encountered someone who is infected, please inform the CEDA and board the infected or yourself away. If you happened to be outside and not somewhere safe, please go to the designated safe rooms and evac zones for your own safety. We now have contact from one of our field reporters. Trisha, what's going on over there?"

The screen turned towards a young white woman with blonde hair. "Well, Trevor, it's a complete warzone over here. There's gunfire erupting in the city as the military and police are firing upon the 'infected', as they are called. Civilians have also been breaking into some of the gun shops here, and helping with disrupting with the infected, but it's still not enough. Still, there are several survivors who are trying to escape from the chaos. Those who are trying to do that are advised to get the designated evac sites and safe rooms." Just then an old man in a Vietnam era olive drag uniform, armed with a M16A1, came running into the background. The young woman noticed him and ran up to the survivor, who seems to be running from a battlefield. "Hello, sir, sir, hey, what's your name and why are running away?"

The soldier stopped and turned around to face the camera. Michelle knew who he was, as Brook muttered his identity, "Hey, is that your dad, Michelle?" Michelle remained quiet as she tried to listen to what his father was trying to say.

"My name is Sergeant William "Bill" Overbeck," answered veteran, "and we are not safe here! There are zombies all over the town and we need to get the hell out of here! And Michelle, if you are watching this, this maybe the last time you see me. It's only a matter of time before the infection hits you. You need to prepare, now!"

Just then, the cameraman was tackled by a rabid man. The camera fell on the ground, showing him getting mauled to death, while Trisha was get thrashed by a horde of gray skinned monsters. Bill, meanwhile, was firing his assault rifle at the creatures, trying to save the news crew. The video was cut off and returned to Trevor, who was nervous at what he just saw. "Well…breaking news," reported the monotone newsman, "…there are now isolated reports of the Green Flu in Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. As the virus is spreading, all we can say is may God help us all...we will keep you up in date…"

Michelle walked away, crying for what she just saw. Thomas walked up to her to comfort her. She cried on his shoulder. The only thing he could do is just to allow her to cry on his shoulder, as it seems the world was going to hell.


	5. Plan Z

**Chapter Four: Plan Z**

Life as you know it changed after the outbreak in Fairfield, or what many people call the "Great Panic". Within hours, Philadelphia, Pittsburg, and many of the surrounding towns in Pennsylvania were swarmed by the infection. By the 24th hour, New York City and Boston were ransacked. And in three days, the entire Northeast was succumbed by the Green Flu, or what is now called the Zombie Virus. The President tried to calm the citizens down, assuring that the government was doing its best to fix the problem. Yet, the damage of the virus was too strong to assure the people that everything was fine and dandy, no matter how much hope you put into it. People started to riot, trying to scavenge as much food and weapons so they could survive the apocalypse. It seems like more people were getting killed by stray bullets and vicious beatings than by the actual virus itself.

Campus life has also changed. Many of the students who were once skeptical were now panicking. Many of the students were gone, either because their parents wanted them home for their safety, or they were afraid of being trapped on campus when the infection hit us, or because they were sick with the flu itself (so said the rumors). Those few who are left in this "ghost" town stayed for various reasons. Some stayed because they still had that teenage mentality of being invincible and plan on to party hard while fighting off the horde. Others stayed because they were in their student state of mind and couldn't afford missing the grade. The rest stayed because they had nowhere else to go, so the school to them was their home.

Still, things seem to be crashing down for Thomas as the week came to an end. He still hasn't gotten word about the status of his oldest brother. They lost communication up North about two days after the outbreak, and Thomas presumes that Stephen is dead. As the infection crept south, his brother John was deployed to New Orleans to help out with the evacuation efforts. In a much more desperate move, they also deployed Thomas's ROTC buddies, Gabe and Aaron, to help out in Savannah because of their prior enlistment in the National Guard. And then there was Michelle, who was upset about her father. Whenever he tried to talk to her, she would brush him off, telling him she wasn't in the mood to talk. And whenever she was in the mood to talk, she would go off crying in the middle of the conversation. Somehow, whatever they talk about usually ends up being related to Bill. This made Thomas impatient with Michelle, but he kept his thoughts to himself, knowing that shouting at her to "toughen up" wouldn't make things any better.

So, with nobody to talk with, Thomas was eating lunch by himself in the cafeteria. During his solidarity, he was writing in his journal. It was suppose to be a History project; keep a diary on you and record any event that you feel will be historical. Ever since the beginning of the assignment, he's been recording the progress of the Green Flu. And although it most likely won't be turned in for a grade, he still believes in preserving the history of what's going on. He was eating his bowl of chicken noodle soup while reviewing his writing when a voice said, "Hey man, can I sit with you?" This prompted Thomas to drop his spoon, almost spilling noodles and broth onto the pages of his book. Thomas turned his head to see it was Carl.

Carl was the last person in his mind that he would want to speak with. Even with his depressed girlfriend and nearly 90% of the school population gone, he didn't want to speak with the nutjob. Still, it was boring being alone anyways, so he might of well strike a conversation with him.

"If you are here to sell me drugs, I don't want any," declined Thomas as he closed his book and put it in his bag.

"No, bro, I'm here to talk about our zombie plan, man," answered Carl as he took a seat across Thomas.

"Our zombie plan?" asked Thomas.

"Yeah, our zombie plan," replied Carl.

"I have no idea what's your talking about."

"Really, then how come you were buying up all the Twinkies at the Student shop on Wednesday?"

"I ran out of Twinkies."

"How come you have a combat shotgun stashed in your room?"

Thomas's eyebrows rose as Carl asked him that question. Thomas never told anyone about his gun, not even Tank or Matt. Still, he went into denial. "What are you talking about?"

"You're not fooling anyone, well not me of course," stated Carl, "During the day of the gun show, I saw coming back to your dorm with guitar case. You don't even play guitar. That and I saw you reading an online manual on 'How to Operate a SPAS-12 combat shotgun'."

Thomas couldn't get out of this one and admitted, "Alright, I have a gun in my room. So what, are you going to tell on me?"

"No way, man," replied Carl, "why should I report on you if I'm carrying like 12 pounds of hash in my room. I mean, as long you're not some mental nutcase."

"I am as sane as they come," growled Thomas.

"Ok dude, that's all I need to know. But seriously, I need you in our Z Plan."

"Why me? Is it because I have the gun?"

"Somewhat, but that's not the only reason, dude. The reason I need you because you've actually have encountered them."

"First of all, Michelle was with me at the time, so I'm not the only one. Second, it was only a brief encounter."

"But you know what they are like, dude." Then Carl started looking around, seeing if there was anyone watching or listening in to the duo's conversation. "Meet me at my dorm from an hour from now: Building Beta, room 314."

"Wait, what," uttered Thomas, but the shifty nutcase ran out before he could hear what Thomas had to say.

An hour passed and Thomas reluctantly got to Carl dorm room door. Despite having a bad feeling in his gut, he decided to knock on the door. But before his knuckles touched the door, it opened up with the long hair hippie standing in the way.

"Came here as expected," said Carl, "and right on time too."

Thomas walked into the room, while Carl cautiously looked around before slamming the door shut. Thomas examined the room with interest. The room had smoky smell to it. There were clothes all over the floor. The walls were covered with all sorts of conspiracy posters, ranging from aliens to ghosts to government conspiracies to zombies. _"And they say I need a life,"_ thought Thomas.

"Sorry for the mess, dude," stated Carl, "but let's get to business." Carl then went to one of his over-filled filing cabinets and pulled out a folder labeled 'Warmbrunn-Knight report'. "Apparently, this Green Flu crap is just for some cover up for something much worse."

"What do you mean?" asked Thomas as he started to read the report.

"Well, the virus originated in China," explained Carl.

"Yeah, I know that," interrupted Thomas, "and the Chinese government even tried to cover it up."

"Impressive, I didn't expect for you to know this. But why would they cover this up? If it was just a simple flu, they would have any need for a cover up. Because this is no flu, it's a fucking zombie virus." Carl then pulled out a bunch of photos, what appeared to be the riot in South Africa. "Look at these pictures, man. Do they look human?" Thomas took a careful look at the pictures, agreeing with his point. "Now, they are saying it's some form of rabies, but that's bullshit. Rabies doesn't do this, not only that, but it's changing." Carl pulled more papers from the file. From what Thomas read, it looked like a list of different 'special infected'. "The virus is mutating, creating all sorts of 'infected' with different abilities and what not. Like, one type is all fat and what not and uses its vomit to attract other zombies to attack certain targets, and one that shoots its tongue to strangle people. The government isn't telling us everything."

"Yeah, this is a bit shocking," replied Thomas, reading the reports.

"And you want to know why?" rhetorically asked Carl, which Thomas reluctantly wanted to know. "Because it's just another plot for the government to take over our lives."

"What?" replied Thomas, who was just dumbstruck by the answer.

"Yeah, I mean, why would the CEDA want to disarm us while a damn apocalypse is happening before our eyes? Why would they implement more rules against our rights? Why would they try to down play the seriousness of the situation?"

"Because they are trying to protect us," rebutted Thomas, as he was getting fed up by Carl's theories, "yeah, they might not be doing a good job, but they're trying their best. Now, I'm as much as anti-government person myself, but they are trying to solve the solution. I also seriously doubt the government would purposely harm its citizens in order to gain control, especially when the military states we should have guns ready, which contradicts your thesis."

"Really Thomas, then how about 9/11…"

But Thomas interrupted him there, shouting, "Did I come here to figure out some kinda survival plan or to listen to your hairball theories!" Carl remained silent, then Thomas calmly added, "Now, what kinda plan do you suggest, Carl."

Carl took a few seconds of silence until he hesitantly answered, "Well, I'm not sure I should tell you."

"Why not?"

"Because you're going to think that my plan is ridiculous."

"No I…"

"Yes you will," Carl thrusted up to Thomas, "you're just like everyone else, man. You think I'm some crazy nutcase out to make some publicity or that I'm a mental moron, but I'm not man. I'm someone who's just concern about what's going on. Maybe, you should just leave since you can't take me seriously."

"Fine," replied Thomas, "I will leave, but let me tell you something. We are the same. Yeah, maybe you take things to the 'extreme' and I don't agree with everything you just said, but we are on the same page about this plague. We are the only ones on campus who actually believe this shit is serious and that we aren't being told the full story. I was hoping we were to going to join forces and fight this thing, to save mankind, but I guess I'm wrong."

Thomas then turned toward the door, but before he put his hand on the door knob, Carl stopped him, "No, wait, bro. You can stay, but do you promise not to make fun of me."

"Promised," replied Thomas with a genuine smile. He then walked back to Carl and took a seat on his bed. "So, what's the plan?"

"This is what I have thought of but we first need some weapons," explained Carl.

"But I have a shotgun," replied Thomas.

"Yeah, but I need a weapon for myself, bro." shot back Carl who pulled out a bag of tools. "Besides, we can't fight a zombie apocalypse with garden tools."

"Where did you get those?" asked Thomas.

"Oh, I took them from the garden shed," answered Carl who pulled out a crowbar and handed it to Thomas. "I figure if this shit hits us, that I will be ready to defend myself. However, I need heavier artillery."

"So, you're thinking of raiding the ROTC armory," stated Thomas, in which Carl nodded with agreement. "Is that another reason why you needed me?"

"Again, partially," added Carl who pulled out a fire axe and started to sharpen it, "what kinda of guns do you have in there?"

"A bunch of old M16A2 models, two M60 machine guns, and I think a bolt action sniper rifle, but I can't remember the model," answered Thomas.

"Perfect," replied Carl. "Alright, after we get the guns, we'll get the hell out of here and get to the nearest evac site in Dallas."

"Sounds like a plan, Carl," complimented Thomas, "but I do have a question. Is it going to be us two?"

"You betcha," answered Carl.

"Why?"

"Because we can't afford anyone to mess up our plan, that's why man. I mean, if we meet some other people, we can group with them, but you got to remember, it's going to be like every man to themselves, man."

"Yeah, but I doubt we can do it with the two of us alone. I mean, how about the aftermath of this."

"You're right. We need more people, especially women, you know, for reproduction." Carl gave a grin.

"Yeah…maybe I should get the group together, and you can get whatever supplies," suggested Thomas.

"Alright," agreed Carl, "you get the team together, but don't get too many people, although make sure you get some women. (Thomas sighed) I'll get the food and other supplies. We'll meet you at your place at 5:00pm."

Thomas and Carl then separated and went to perform their separate tasks. The two were now partners. 


End file.
